Loose Ends
by MewHannah-Chan
Summary: It's been two years since Roxas' older brother died, and he just may have found the answer to the crime. As peculiar and questionable characters spill onto the scene, will Roxas find his brother's murderer, or is the answer right under his nose? HIATUS


I wrote this quite a while back for school (I got 100 on it too!) and I decided it was too good to waste. So I'm posting it here! I hope you all enjoy.

Roxas: The fans enjoy watching me suffer.

Axel: Cheer up, emo-kid.

**Speical Thanks To:** My mom for helping me. Thank you for being such a good human-thesaurus! I love you!!

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**Loose Ends**

Chapter 1:_ How Interesting…_

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Roxas has never been what most people would call "interesting". His messy blonde hair, faded tank top and worn-down jeans reflect a… I'm not interested in general attitude. Even his crystal blue eyes appear dull because he tended to constantly stare into nothingness without expression. The only thing about his entire being that might strike someone's interest, is the blood stained checkered wristband he intensely fidgets with. Otherwise, Roxas is just a kid hanging out in a mocha-colored coffee shop, looking for something to glare at… Like he does every rainy day as he remorsefully sips his latte and thinks about his dismal existence.

Still taunted by his older brother's death two years ago, Roxas has thrown himself into a world of loneliness and disparity. No one ever bothered this anti-social boy, nor even spared a passing glance… but perhaps today would be different.

Roxas looked wearily at the chalkboard posting the "Today's Specials". Un-amused, his eyes fixed on the Mickey Mouse doodle; figuring someone was wasting their talent on such petty things. Shaking his head in disappointment, he redirects his eyes to the specials, debating whether or not he should try the pumpkin spice chai once he finished his latte. Roxas unconsciously took a long sip of his drink—his eyes never leaving the board. Overcome by boredom, he lost interest and averted his gaze to scope the rest of his surroundings.

Roxas enjoyed his own thoughts, as opposed to other people's opinions, and got a kick out of thinking for himself. People watching especially struck his interest because with his extraordinary perception, he could imagine them to be anything he wanted.

"Let the games begin…" Roxas whispered under his breath while grinning mischievously. He gazed at the few people sitting about him. There was a neatly dressed man with glasses and graying hair. He was seated across from a woman with short red hair that was also graying in areas. She wore a simple black turtle-neck and looked very stunning. A married couple, Roxas supposed, as he twisted the heat guard on his cup. A rare smile flourished his lips.

Satisfied with his findings of couple #1, Roxas further pans his gaze towards the back. He spots a girl at the corner table… 'Me-yow…' he thought, briefly taken back. The girl looked to be about his age and had shiny brown hair that fell about her slightly blemished face. But Roxas' attention was drawn to her captivating smile. He shook his head momentarily to break the spell and redirected his stare to her attire. She wore a black jacket with a skull decal in the center and dark jeans. In the midst of his staring, Roxas realized that she might have caught him looking at her. Snapping his eyes back up to her face, he stopped at the sight of something around her neck—zooming in tightly, he discovered a Celtic cross symbolizing well-being. 'Nice touch,' He thought to himself, bitterly falling back into self-indulged sarcasm. 'At least someone has it.' Roxas reflected on his current state-of-mind and quickly shut his eyes in an attempt to erase the thought. 'Stop wallowing and get back to the game, you idiot!' He demanded of himself.

Continuing his observations, he noticed the girl he was ogling over was with a companion. 'Whoa, hello bachelorette #2…' Just as he was starting to get into her looks, the girl quickly drew her hands over her mouth and stared wildly at her friend. 'What's going on with these two?' Roxas thought curiously. By the looks of their frantic gestures, and horrific expressions, he summarized that they were discussing a horror movie. Again, he slumped into boredom, considering he has the life experience of horror that a movie could never express. "Game over." He sighed, not noticing he was grasping his wristband with trembling fingers.

Unexpectedly, an uneasy feeling washed over him; the hair on his neck stood up and his hands went numb. He hadn't had this feeling since his brother's funeral.

His eyes darted to the window to see a… very peculiar looking guy. He seemed only a few years older than Roxas and was quite thin. Although his heart was racing, Roxas tried his best to stay calm as he looked the stranger over. He wore a black hoodie that covered his head, black jeans and red converse shoes. The man was staring intensely through the window pane. And even though he was facing Roxas directly, Roxas couldn't see his face at that angle. However, he could see the fewest hints of wild fire-red hair falling free of the hood.

'How strange,' Roxas thought, not noticing he had leaned to the left to get a better look. Just then, the man pulled his stubborn gaze off the window and stared at the coffee cup sitting undisturbed before him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red lighter. The stranger's eyes were hidden under the shadow of the hood, but Roxas could see his lips were thin, his face pale and… 'Are those triangles under his eyes?' Roxas wondered.

Then, the man lit the lighter, bringing a sudden glow to his face. He had acid green eyes; his hair was a deep red as hinted before. Not realizing he had been staring at the odd man, Roxas let out a "Huh." As if he was looking for a missing piece in a puzzle.

The "huh" must have been within the man's ear-shot, because in that second, emerald green eyes locked on to Roxas' simple blue ones—the glow in the lighter fading.

Mr. Peculiar lit it again, and again, and again—eyes never straying from Roxas'. 'He's obviously a pyro,' as Roxas assumed from the constant lighter flicking and the scorch mark he had now noticed on his pale hands.

Suddenly, the man smiled… no… _smirked. _Then he got up and made his way toward the door of the coffee shop, passing Roxas without a care.

Roxas stared down the black-clad stranger's trail… as he opened the door, breaking the silence with a ring of the welcome bell. The door shut slowly with an eerie click, but before the man left, he turned his head to Roxas, flashing him one last smirk, before stalking away into the pouring rain.

Roxas blinked his dry, focused eyes and turned back to his latte. It had gone cold. He released a pent-up breath that was trapped in his throat. 'Who was that guy?' He pondered, thinking back on any times he might have seen him before. 'I don't know him, and yet he's so familiar…'

Roxas took a deep breath. "Dare I look?" He muttered almost poetically, before he slowly turned to look out the window.

Sure enough, there the man was, standing on the sidewalk next to a bus stop. Roxas blinked hard in frustration, praying it was a delusion created by his confusion and shock. Unfortunately, the mirage that was the man didn't waver, but this time, the stranger was staring back at him. Roxas could tell he was looking at him because not even the pouring rain could hide those shocking green eyes. Then, the stranger lifted his hand up, stuck his pointer finger out, and wagged it—gesturing for Roxas to come outside.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion while half his mind told him to stay and the other encouraged him to go. 'He's a pedophile! I can't go with him!' He argued with himself. 'But why would he take interest in me? There are girls here the same age as me…' As his mind batted the argument around like a tennis match, his curiosity got the better of him and he stood up.

Roxas grabbed his jacket and pulled it on as quickly as he could, bringing the hood over his head, before rushing to the door and shoving it open. Ignoring the welcome bell, he dashed toward the lean man who was smiling intently. Exasperated, Roxas paused to lean his hands on his knees and pant. The pouring rain was too loud for Roxas to think properly. It hit the ground like a million bombs imploding at impact. Since thinking was Roxas' favorite thing, it frustrated him to the point of screaming. With a final deep breath, he made his way over to the stranger.

"Well, now…" The man spoke, his voice playful and slightly aged.

"…I didn't think you'd actually come out."

Roxas ignored his muffled statement, "Who are you?" He shouted over the maelstrom of water.

The man pulled the forgotten lighter out of his hoodie again, and covered the top with his other hand. He lit it, but only received a few sparks in response. "You should know." He replied. Roxas shook his head and the man shrugged. He flicked the lighter a few more times, still only getting sparks, before sighing and shoving it back into his pocket.

"Well? Who are you?" Roxas pressed, and the man turned to him casually—eyes locking onto his for the fourth time that evening.

"The name's Axel," He pointed to himself. "Got it memorized?"

Roxas blinked and sighed. He still didn't have a clue who he was. "I'm Roxas," he muttered while scorning suspiciously.

Axel turned to look at the flooding roads. "Nice to officially meet you, Roxas."

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Officially?"

Axel turned and started to walk down the side walk. "Follow me."

Roxas hesitated, before slowly taking pace then reluctantly tailing behind.

The rest of the walk went in silence. Not one dared to look at the other as they made their way to someplace unknown. The rain had long since become background noise, but never ceased its relentless downpour.

"In here." Axel said, shattering the silence. Roxas looked to see a restaurant in between an accessory shop and a fast-food place. Above the entrance, in bright red neon lights, were the words "Pesto Divine". In the next instant, the sign had flickered and all that was left of the lit letters revealed " to Di e".

Before Roxas could make a sarcastic comment, Axel had gone in, dragging the younger boy with him. When they got through the door, Roxas examined the restaurant: it was Italian themed, with flourishing paintings on the worn brick walls. The booths were maroon weathered leather, lined with gold poles and badly colored curtains.

"This place looks like Mimi's Café gone bad…" Roxas snickered and a woman appeared in front of them.

"Hello! Table for two?"

"Yes please." Axel said coolly, "A secluded booth if you could?"

She blushed and stuttered. "O-of course!"

She led them to a booth in the far back corner with a curtain that you could pull for privacy.

"Here you go! I'll be back for your drink order in a minute." She put the menu's on the table and left. They sat down and Axel immediately pulled the curtain over.

"So how do you know me?" Roxas blurted right off the bat before shaking out of his jacket.

Axel pulled out the dreaded lighter again and flicked it; smiling when he received a small flame. "Your brother." He replied in a deep and chilling voice.

Roxas' heart stopped.

"You were never around when I was with him, but he showed me pictures." Axel continued, noticing the color had disappeared on his companions face.

"But my brother…" Roxas' voice trembled, "…is _dead_."

His voice cracked at the last word and Axel sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry, I should've explained…" He pulled his hood down; long dark-red spikes falling free.

Roxas' eyes widened as he spoke; "Now I remember! You were at his funeral!"

Axel nodded solemnly. Just then, the waitress pulled the curtain back. "Alright, I'll take your orders now!" She looked down to see Roxas covering his mouth with his hand.

"We'll just have water." Axel said hastily as he waved her away. She nodded nervously, and quickly left.

Axel slowly drew the curtain closed and looked back at Roxas. He let out a long breath. "Roxas…" He started. "…I'm an arms dealer."

Roxas' tear-filled blue eyes shot up. "What…?"

At that moment, a soft voice was heard from outside the curtain.

"Excuse me? I have your water's here."

"Okay," Axel replied hesitantly while opening the flimsy barrier.

After sitting their drinks on the table, the woman took out her pen and notepad. "You ready to order?" She asked sheepishly.

"We need a little more time." Axel said calmly his eyes never leaving Roxas'. She slipped her pen and pad back into her pocket before pulling the curtain into place and retreating to the kitchen.

Axel paused breifly until he knew she was gone. "I sell illegal weapons to anyone who's willing to buy. Your brother was not only was my best friend…" He looked away,

"…but my best customer as well."

Roxas gaped and the two shared a long silence. Not knowing what else to do, Axel awkwardly picked up his menu and looked it over with no interest.

Meanwhile, Roxas closed his eyes tightly and prayed—prayed it was dream, prayed this had never happened, prayed he would wake up any moment now… But most of all, prayed that his brother was actually alive and had only been sleeping these past two years.

When he opened his eyes, nothing had changed—He was back in the worn-down restaurant with the arms dealer named Axel. It wasn't a dream; his brother was dead, and now this crazy pyromaniac was creating a nightmare by feeding him a bunch of bull.

Just then, it occurred to Roxas that… well… reality bites.

"You hungry?" Axel asked nonchalantly.

Roxas suddenly wanted to launch himself at the Axel and strangle him. "I'll just have a salad." He replied angrily.

Axel nodded and mused, "They have Caesar and Chef."

He announced, blandly.

Roxas was on his last nerve. "Caesar." He growled before being interrupted by the waitress's return.

"You two ready to order?" She asked, slightly fatigued.

"He'll have the Caesar salad and I'll have the spaghetti special." She promptly jotted the orders down, picked up the menus and left.

Axel turned back to the fuming boy in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

"You okay? You look really irritated." Axel commented in a low, concerning voice.

Roxas abruptly stood up and screamed. "Two years!" Axel flinched.

"Two years since my brother died—in a gang war! A GANG WAR!! Shot three times! In the back, chest and leg!" Tears were streaming down Roxas' cheeks, but he boldly ignored them. "And it was probably all YOUR fault because you sold him the—!" Roxas was cut off when Axel quickly leaned over the table and covered Roxas' mouth with his hand.

"I know, okay?!" He snapped, pushing the Roxas back down, hand still over the younger boy's mouth.

Axel took a deep breath and looked away. "I know." He whispered.

A few seconds later, he pulled his hand off Roxas' mouth and sighed deeply; sitting back in his seat.

"But it wasn't entirely my fault. I sold him weapons," He stared remorsefully at Roxas with cold emerald eyes. "…and I also watched what happened…" Roxas' breath hitched in his throat.

"Shot four times huh?" An unsatisfied smirk tugged at his lips. "Guess they didn't mention the cuts."

"What happened?" Roxas asked and Axel looked back at him.

"Terrible things." He hesitated, "Terrible unspeakable things. If you've seen the movie Hostel, you wouldn't even want to hear the rest."

He didn't know when, but somewhere between the "terrible things" and "Hostel" Roxas started sobbing.

"The doctors told me he was dying from bullet wounds!" He said with a cracked voice and Axel shook his head sorrowfully.

"That's far from true. They shot him when they got bored of him." Axel said quietly.

Roxas sobbed uncontrollably as he buried his face in his hands. After some time, he finally gasped out. "Why now?!"

Axel slumped his shoulders. "I didn't know how to tell you. Your brother…" He drew a deep breath. "…was a great guy, who got with the wrong crowd. I never told him this but," Roxas looked up with anticipation.

"…never mind."

"Tell me!" Roxas demanded.

Axel carefully leaned over the table while lowering his voice to a whisper "I did time. I burned a house down when I was 14."

Roxas shrugged and relpied. "That's not too bad."

Axel shook his head. "I burned it down after I killed someone. All you brother knew was the burned down part." He glanced up at Roxas who looked paler than a corpse and had backed into the booth to get some distance.

Desperately, Axel continued. "I know what you're thinking, but it was self-defense. A gang member broke into my house and threatened to kill me unless I swore allegiance to them. I scrambled for my dad's revolver and shot him. I didn't know how to hide the body, so I grabbed some gasoline and… you get the picture. They sent me to juvy for a while until they found solid evidence. But they never did."

Roxas gulped and laughed nervously.

"I would hardly consider that time."

Axel snorted. "Juvenile hall is a jail for kids. There's really not much of a difference. Hopefully you'll never find out." The nervous boy grasped his wristband tightly and Axel caught sight of it.

"What happened to that thing?"

Roxas glanced solemnly at the blood-stains and closed his eyes. "I was in the hospital with him… my brother… he wouldn't stop coughing up his own blood…" The boy trailed off and his companion nodded.

"I see. It was hard wasn't it?"

Roxas chuckled a little and a sad smile tugged at his pale face. "He was in so much pain. I threatened to kill the doctors if they didn't do anything about it." He paused to sniffle while wiping his eyes,

"But they did… they stopped it. Now Cloud isn't suffering anymore and is at rest…" Roxas sobbed and the red-head gave him a sad look before scooting around the booth to pat the younger boy's back.

Roxas inhaled and caught scent of charcoal, gunpowder and formaldehyde.

"It's okay, it's okay…" Axel whispered reassuringly. Then, he pondered for a while and asked, "Hey, do you know why your parents named your brother Cloud?"

Roxas sniffled and answered. "He had my mom's albino skin, my dad's blue eyes and vanilla-blonde hair. They always told him he was like a cloud in the sky." He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I'd say mostly his head, though."

"Hey!" Axel said, "Don't judge him 'till you hear me out. Cloud bought my weapons to protect himself after finding out he got too deep into the gang business. He was just trying to make a lot of money fast to help support your family and move you to a better environment. Your brother figured he was doing the right thing, he just didn't know the stakes were so high."

They shared a long silence and listened to the soft chatter in the background along with the clinking dishes near the kitchen. The curtain cut off the world. It was just them and the melted ice water in a whole restaurant full of people. Eventually, Axel moved back to his original seat and quietly watched Roxas. The boy had folded his arms at the edge of the table and laid his head on them. After a few seconds, Axel took out the lighter and flicked it on and off as he waited patently for his young companion to say something.

Meanwhile, Roxas listened to the flicking of the lighter and stared down at his shaking knees in deep thought. Click—'My brother is dead.' Click—'His accomplice shows up two years later and buys me dinner.' Click—'He probably killed someone because he smells like a preserved corpse…'

Roxas lifted his head up and glared at Axel. "Why do you smell like formaldehyde?" He asked in disgust.

The red-head raised and eyebrow. "How do you know it's formaldehyde?"

The boy shrugged and narrowed his eyes. "The hospital and funeral home reeked of it."

Axel laughed and shook his head. "I have a friend who's a grave-digger. He messes with that kind of stuff on a daily basis, and I guess it rubbed off on me."

Roxas chuckled and thought to himself. 'Note to self: don't get on Axel's bad side or he'll burn you alive and have his friend bury you.'

Just then, the waitress returned and opened the curtain.

"Sorry for the wait! We hit dinner rush a while ago." An assistant handed her the plates and she sat them on the table.

Axel smiled a toothy grin when his spaghetti sat in front of him and replied pleasantly, "No problem!"

"Shall I close this for you?" The waitress asked, referring to the open curtain.

"Sure, thanks." Axel said politely.

Roxas stared down at his Caesar salad and glanced at Axel's bowl of spaghetti containing meatballs, mushrooms and teriyaki chicken.

'Well at least he eats_ some_ carbs…' Roxas thought, somewhat shuttering at the sight of such a bizarre meal. Then he picked up his fork and stabbed into his lettuce.

"That's some interesting looking spaghetti you got there…" He took a bite out of his salad.

Axel was just at the end of chewing his own bite and swallowed it happily. "It's their spaghetti special. I order it every time I come here."

Roxas nodded and shoveled another bite into his mouth.

They ate in silence, except for a few reminiscings of all the good times Axel had shared with Cloud. Roxas also had a few stories of his own to compare with Axel's. The red-head long since finished his dinner before the blonde was even halfway through his. When Roxas did finish, the waitress had come back just in time to collect their plates and give them their check.

"Do either of you want any dessert?" Axel flashed Roxas a grin.

"They have great chocolate cake! And after your little episode…" He chuckled and Roxas scowled.

"No thank you."

"None for me either, thanks."

The waitress smiled and bid them farewell before walking away, leaving the curtain open this time. Axel glanced at the bill, pulled out his wallet and counted the money inside. Roxas stared his usual bored stare and thought back on the events of the day.

All he wanted to do was sit in that old mocha-colored coffee shop, glaring at unsuspecting objects and solemnly sipping his latte. He'd think and fidget with his wristband and go home when he had gotten bored enough. But ever since he looked at that strange man and let out that confused "huh", his whole life had changed. This Axel person could answer all of his questions; prior to the ones answered earlier. Perhaps this was luck? Or merely coincidence? No… it was both—and unusual blend of luck and coincidence for the current greatest discovery of his life.

Roxas smiled: his case will soon be closed.

He was torn from his thoughts when Axel slapped the money on the table.

"Ready to go?" The boy nodded and pulled his jacket on. They both sat up from the booth and proceeded to head for the door. As they reached the front, a woman at the reservations counter called out to have a great day; they ignored her. Axel opened the door and held it for Roxas. Outside, it was barley sprinkling and the clouds in the sky were clearing up, just like his mind had.

As Roxas pulled his hood up over his head, he felt Axel tap his shoulder.

"Need a ride?" Axel offered.

Roxas paused for a moment but shook his head. "Nah, I can walk."

The red-head raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Roxas nodded and grinned before his expression turned serious. "I hope you intend on showing up again soon; we still have a lot to discuss."

Axel laughed and gave him a thumbs up while spouting out, "You can count on it!" before turning to leave.

Roxas smiled one last time and started making his way down the sidewalk towards home. His crystal blue eyes stared up at the sky.

"Cloud…" He said strongly under his breath, "I'll find your murderer soon… I promise."

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_(Zelda music plays)_

_Congratulations! You've unlocked the Alternate Ending! Enjoy!_

As the two parted ways, Axel tied one last knot for friendship.

"If you ever need me, just send up a smoke signal!" He chuckled.

Roxas laughed facetiously. "Don't count on it."

Simultaneously, a thunder bolt cracked fiercely, lighting up the gloomy grey sky with fury. Axel grinned a gleaming smile of excitement at its potential. He reached into his pocket and lifted his lighter high, in some sort of effort to make a connection with it.

_**"PYRO MANIA MAN!!"**_ He shouted as another bolt came screeching down to earth, striking his lighter with an explosion of energy.

Roxas covered his head to avoid any physical damage while diving to the pavement for cover. When he lifted his arms off his face, he was confronted with a glorious image. Axel was engulfed in flames, but showed no sign of pain. He grinned as sparks flew about him; his emerald eyes showing pure excitement.

"FLAME ON!" He cried, but paused for a moment when nothing happened. "Whoops, I guess that's copyright infringement!" He pointed his hand into the sky and shouted, "Pyro Mania Man, AWAY!!" His body lifted off the ground and swooped into the skies—leaving only a thin streak of ashes and fire.

Roxas stared in awe as Axel disappeared from sight, and could only gape wondrously at this unbelievable phenomenon.

The End?

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(insert dramatic chipmunk thing here)

Dear lord! A whole damn _ten pages long_!! New record FTW! …(ehm) Anyway, I hope you all liked it, because it's gonna be the only chapter for a very long time. I know, I'm cruel and unusual (especially the latter) but it's because I'm busy doing other things. Don't expect the next chapters to be so long! Unless someone is willing to indulge me… ;3

Until next time, my friends! (blows kisses)


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